Two new clean technology alternatives for consumers

Electricity produced with fossils is diminishing while nuclear reaction has proven to impose danger for the environment. Cleaner, greener technology have been researched for a very long time by scientists but, while hailed by general public, these alternatives are not yet accepted by industries.

Piezoelectricity for laptops.

However, this might change some times in the future -- but not too far away. Citing Advanced Journal Material, Gizmag reported on June 26, 2011 that scientists from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia, has been able to demonstrate that a technology called piezoelectric, perform in nano-scale, indeed has a chance to convert mechanical stroke into electricity power.

Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran, leader of the Australian researchers, stated that they focused on the thin film coatings which they believe "hold the only practical possibility of integrating piezoelectrics into existing electronic technology". She also insisted that the technology can be applied for a wide range of consumer goods, from running shoes and mobile phones battery to laptop.

In the case of laptop, Dr. Bhaskaran said that piezoelectric technology enables laptops to be powered through typing.

Samsung NC215S.

Shortly before the news was made public, Gizmag also reported that Samsung's Russian branch has been able to produce laptops which are powered by the solar power. Samsung NC215S is expected to be shipped in Rusia in August and the U.S. in July 3. The price tag for each market is, according to Liliputing.com, $500 and $399, respectively.

The Samsung netbook features, according to Clean Technica, are as follows:

• 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel matte display
• 1GB of RAM
• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 dual core processor

The netbook will be powered by a solar panel which is embedded in the lid. The panel charges a 6-cells battery. To extend the running times, the battery is equipped with PowerPlus technology.

To get 1 hour life for the battery, the lid needs to be exposed at full 2 hours. The overall life of the battery was said to be more than 14 hours. Since it the power source is the sunlight, the netbook's 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 pixels display is designed to perform best under bright lights, even in direct light. The display reportedly will be able to offer 300cd/m2 brightness. Anti-reflective coating is also embedded to provide clear and colorful images.

Pictures were taken from here and here.

Launched: Gingerbred powered Sony Ericcson Xperia Ray

If you love the way the smartphone Arc look, the newest member in the SE family must looked familiar. However, Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray features a smaller display. But it runs on the powerful Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The device surely would fit well with standard grip since its frame is made of aluminum -- Arc's frame by contrast is made of plastic. The display may be smaller than its predecessor becuase it is only 3.3. inches -- compared to the Arc's 4.3 inches. But it boasts of a FWVGA Mobil BRAVIA. The measure is 480 x 854 pixel. It turns out that smaller LCD size gives an edge for the design. The device looked small and light. It weighs only 100g or 3.53oz and the physical dimension is 111 x 53 x 9.4 or 4.3 x 2.09 x 0.37 in.

The Gingerbread was powered by a 1GHZ processor. Storage is handled by a 300MB internal storage. Support is available for microSD cards up to 32GB. Upon purchase, a 4GB card is included. Interface is, as usual, pretty pleasant with the typical SE custom interface which has intregated Facebook Inside Experia application. Camera section is powerful with a 8.1MP at the back, capable of capturung HD 720 videos. On the front part, a VGA camera is available for video calls. Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray will be in the shelves in the third quarter of 2011 and available in gold, white, black and pink. ©